Chris Brown’s Legal Tally Gets Another Checkmark

Chris Brown just closed one chapter of legal trouble, though anyone who follows his career knows another one probably starts tomorrow. The singer reached a settlement in principle that removes him and several Universal Music companies from a copyright lawsuit filed by a songwriter named Steve Chokpelle. Chokpelle, who performs under the name Muso, claimed he never got proper credit or payment for two tracks called “Sensational” and “Monalisa.” Does anyone actually get surprised anymore when a hit song leads to a courtroom brawl instead of a celebration? The settlement notice landed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday, June 8, and it resolves Chokpelle’s claims against Brown and the Universal entities entirely. The deal does not cover every defendant, because Sean Kingston remains on the hook and probably does not even care from behind bars. A lawsuit that could have turned into a messy public trial now fizzles out quietly, though the terms remain a secret betwe